Separable cuff-button



A. J. KENNEDY.

SEPARABLE CUFF BUTTON.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- I 1920.

Patented July 12, 1921.

UNITED STATES ANDREW J. KENNEDY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SEPARABLE CUFF-BUTTON.

, Specification of LettersqPatent.

Patented July 12, 1921.

Application filed September 1, 1920. Serial No. 407,331.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW J. KENNEDY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Separable Cuff- Buttons, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in cuif buttons, and has reference more particularly to cuff buttons of the separable link type which permit opening of the cuff with out necessitating removal of either or both of the links from the button holes.

Among the leading objects of the invention are; to provide an improved cuff button that shall be equally serviceable for stiff and soft cufis, to provide a construction of button which will not turn in the button holes of the cuff, to provide a cuff button, the links of which'will not be lost out of the button hole when the cuff is open, thereby presenting an inducement to a high-priced article, to provide a separable link button "having a flexible joint connecting the two links, thereby permitting the two ends of the cuff tolie at an angle to each other, rather than parallehthus making the cuff ..,easier to pass over the hand, to provide a separable link button the two members of which can be readily coupled and uncoupled by the application of a light pressure, and, generally, to provide an improved and'eflicient separable cuff button of neat and at tractive appearance and great durability.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which I have illustrated one practical and approved embodiment of the invention, and in which:

Figure 1 is an end View of a stiflz' cuff showlng my improved cuff button applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the two links of the button shown separated;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the two links coupled or interlocked;

Fig. 4 is a view from the inner side of one of the links; and

Fig. 5 is an edge view of one of the links as viewed from the right of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawing 10 designates, an

ordinary stiff cuff equipped at its. ends with the usual button holes indicated at 11.

Since the two halves or links of the button. are ldentical in construction, a description of one will suffice for both. Each link comprises a head 12 which may be of round, or any other plain or ornamental oblon 2:1 j form desired, and constitutes the member which straddles the button hole on. the outer,

side of the cuff. Solderedor otherwise secured to the head 12 is a U-shaped shank I 13 that lies in the button hole 11, and by reason of its two spaced arms or posts, pre

vents the link from turning in the button hole. Continuous with the two posts of the shank member 13 are a pair of oppositely extending loops 14 that lie substantially;

parallel to the head 12 and crosswise of the button hole, these loops forming guards which effectively prevent all danger of the link falling out of thebutton hole when the Continuous with one end of the loops 14 are a pair of inwardly two links are separated.

a diameter about. twice the diameter of the. arms 15 on which they are. formed The complete assembly consisting .of the shank 13, the guards 141, the arms 15, and the balls 16 is preferably and as herein shown, bent and swaged to the shape shown from a single length of annealed spring wire properly hardened, so as to possess a high degree of elasticity.

Each link, formed as described, is readily entered in the button hole by first passing the arms 15 through the button hole, and then successively slipping the ends of the guards 14: between and beneath the edges of the button hole. The two links having been entered in their respective button holes, they arejoined by simply pressing them together, the two pairs of balls 16 springing past each other under a light pressure into the interlocked position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3 thereby closing the cufl. The button is readily separated by simply passing the thumb and fore finger between the two ends of the cuff and around the interlocked parts of the button, which produces a sufficient expansive pressure to cause the ball-shaped ends to spring past each other in an outward direction, thus separating the links as shown in Fig. 2, and opening the cuff. The device is thus very easily manipulated in respect to entering the links in the button holes, interlocking the links, separating the links, and withdrawing the links from the button holes.

The guards 14, when formed of spring wire, as shown, not only serve the purpose of guards to prevent accidental escape of the link from the button hole, but they also form with the arms 15, a spring connection between the shank 13 and the balls 16 to hold the latter in proper relation and permit them to spring apart sufficiently to snap past the two balls of the mating link in both coupling and uncoupling. As above stated, the described form of the shank momber13, with its two spaced arms or posts, prevents the link from turning in the button hole and thereby holds the links always in position for the ball-shaped ends 16 to spring past each other by merely pressing the links to ether.

' t will also be noted that the described joint. or coupling'of the two links is fleXi-' ble, thus permitting the heads 12 to assume the natural angle of the two ends of the cuff, shown in Fig. 1. This is a distinct advantage over separable buttons of that type the closed cuff, making it difficult or impossible to draw the hand therethrough.

While I have herein shown and described one'practical and efficient mechanical form of my invention, it is evident that the mechanical principles involved may be embodied in structural forms differing some-. what indetailk Hence, I reserve all such variations and modifications as fall within the spirit and purview of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A separable cuff button, comprising a pair of mating links each having a head adapted to engage with the outer side of a cuff, a shank adapted to lie in the button hole, a pair of guards continuous with said shank and adapted to overlie the inner side of the cuff adjacent to the button hole, and a pair of elastic inwardly extending arms continuous with said guards and terminating in ball-shaped ends, the ballshaped ends of the two links adapted to spring past each other into interlocked relation. 7 r

2. A separable cuff button, comprising a pair of mating links each having a head adapted to engage with the outer side of a cuff, a shank adapted to lie in the button hole, a pair of flat guards continuouswith said shank and each adapted to lie crosswise of the button hole on the inner side of the cuff, and a pair of elastic inwardly extendingarms continuous with said guards, said arms being inclined toward each other and terminating in ball-shaped ends which lie substantially'in contact with each other, and are adapted to spring past each. other into interlocked relation.

3. A separable cuff button, comprising a pair of mating links, each of said links composed of a head adapted to engage with the outer side of a cuff, and a spring wire member bent and swaged to form a central shank secured to said headjand adapted to lie in.

the button hole,a pairof loopeshaped guards continuous with said shank and adapted to lie crosswise of the button hole on the. inner side of the cuff, and a pair ofinwardly ex'-' tending arms continuous with said guards which lie substantially in contactwith each other, the ball-shaped ends of the arms of ANDREW J. KENNEDY. 

